UFC Vegas 83: Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez continues on the prelims with a fight in the featherweight division between Steve Garcia and Melquizael Costa. Garcia has won back-to-back fights for the first time in his UFC career meanwhile, Costa was finally able to get into the win column when he defeated Austin Lingo via unanimous decision. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Garcia-Costa prediction and pick.

Steve Garcia (14-5) dropped his UFC debut against Luis Pena but has since won three out of his last four, most recently winning back-to-back fights by knockout. He now looks to keep that winning streak alive when he takes on Melquizael Costa this weekend in Austin, Texas.

Melquizael Costa (20-6) stepped up on short notice and up a weight class to take on a mainstay in the lightweight division Thiago Moises who he lost to by submission. He was then able to get his first UFC win when he dominated Austin Lingo for the entirety of the fight to win via unanimous decision. Costa will be looking to get on his first winning streak of his UFC career when he takes on Steve Garcia this weekend at UFC Austin.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings. 

UFC Vegas 83 Odds: Steve Garcia-Melquizael Costa Odds

Steve Garcia: +215

Melquizael Costa: -265

Over 1.5 rounds: -115

Under 1.5 rounds: -115

How to Watch Steve Garcia vs. Melquizael Costa

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT (Prelims)

*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Steve Garcia Will Win

It looked like Steve Garcia was going to have a quick UFC career after losing to Luis Pena in his UFC debut and then getting dropped numerous times against Charlie Ontiveros but his will to win and battle back got him through that fight against Ontiveros with a TKO victory and rattled off three wins in his next four fights.

Garcia has some size on him for a featherweight standing in at 6′ and he has used that size and length to his advantage in his most recent wins when he knocked out Chase Hooper and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. That size will need to play a factor in this fight against Melquizael Costa if he wants to make it three in a row for the first time in his UFC career come Saturday night. The way his size will be advantageous is if he's able to utilize it to take Costa down and beat him there much like he did to Charlie Ontiveros.

Why Melquizael Costa Will Win

Melquizael Costa had a very rough debut on short notice against a stud Thiago Moises who just seemed to be a bit better everywhere than him. Once Costa was able to drop back down to featherweight we saw the big difference in his power, speed, and technique when he beat up Austin Lingo for a full 15 minutes in his most recent win.

Costa now looks to get on the first winning streak of his UFC career when he takes on Steve Garcia this weekend in Austin, Texas. While Garcia may have the size advantage in this matchup it should hardly play a factor. Costa does exceptionally well on the feet at distance with his Muay Thai style of striker which is a heavy dose of kicks, knees, and elbows which all should find their mark against Garcia. If this fight is fought primarily on the feet, Costa should have a field day and pick Garcia apart to claim his second octagon win.

Final Steve Garcia-Melquizael Costa Prediction & Pick

This is going to be a great scrap in the featherweight division. Steve Garcia certainly isn't the most gifted fighter but he comes to fight and he has the power to really crack his opponents on the feet. As far as Costa, his striking is his bread and butter as he likes to break down his opponents with his calf kicks, body kicks, and head kicks but he is also no slouch on the mat if the fight ends up being a grappling match.

Ultimately, Garcia will attempt to do his best to recreate the same success he had against Nuerdanbieke and Hooper but to no avail as Costa is an exceptional striker who will be able to batter Garcia if he attempts to get into range and Costa has shown good defensive grappling skills that he can catch Garcia in something if he's lazy or keep this fight on the feet where he should have the advantage as he should be able to put Garcia away midway through this fight.

Final Steve Garcia-Melquizael Costa Prediction & Pick: Melquizael Costa (-265), Under 2.5 Rounds (-115)